BenRiach 10 Year

Nose: Malted Barley, Baked Apple, Lemon Citrus, Cinnamon, Brioche, Mild Spirit Note Palate: Toasted Barley, Cardimum, Black Tea, Caramel, Green Apple, Oak Tannins, Light Butter This older bottling is quite different than the modern ten year. Leaning more towards baking spices, barley, and light barrel influence. Where the "Original Ten" leans more towards Sweet Malt, Vanilla, and Fruits. . The front palate isn't very eventful. It opens up more toward the mid palate with a burst of cardimum, black tea leaf, and subtle caramel. After sitting out for about an hour an overt note of mint comes through on the front palate.The finish is surprisingly long and consists of a mingling of Green Apple, Oak Tannins, and a light buttery note. There is also an interesting note in there I get out of some armagnac, but I can't quite describe it. Simply put, it seems very grapey. It's nice stuff, very enjoyable even at a lower abv, would recommend.

Pours an old gold, honey-yellow color. A jagged crown of spidery legs. The very first scent is heavy sherry barrel, perfumed to the hilt. It's followed by butter and half-and-half cream. The wood from the barrel really permeates the glass. Just the slightest peppery barrel spice. The first taste is more of that perfumey barrel-wood stuff. It's a combination of port wine, barrel char, and peppered oak. Sugarplums and sherry. Some red wine grapes and berries. At the swallow there is milky cream and just a touch of metallics, like a roll of nickels. The finish is surprisingly salty, with some white pepper and more barrel char. Tannins leave a very puckery lip-smack. Some treated leather, but even in the finish, the perfumes are this dram's defining characteristic.

This shows off the new make character of BR. Its just a solid speyside single malt. Nose is fruity and soft with apple skins and a light floral quality. Malt and barrel come along as well but its all easy going. Palate is more of the same with malty apple and woodsy spice. Its friendly and flavor albeit not complex is warm and inviting kinda like an apple pie cooling on the window sill. Finish dries out a bit but the barley and gentle fruit with spice sustain just enough. I prefer their peated and sherried offerings but this is good scotch. It reminds me of a lesser version of Glenfarclas 10 which I enjoy quite a bit. Im glad I found this on sale for $35 and though I liked it I dont think I would rebuy at normal $50s pricing........85/100

A tad too sweet and sort of lacks identity or at least distinct traits. I am left with the overall impression of a lemon poppyseed muffin which is cool because it helps me justify drinking this at 6 am, Aw hell who am I kidding...I'm way past the point of caring about time. Time for me to reject time. F@#$ you, time, all you ever did was make me wish that whiskey and myself had more of you. In that way you are unlike this dram because i dont wish i had more. One bottle is the perfect amount. This is good but not usually what I want in a whiskey. Price is ok for a 10 year but I wouldn’t say it’s great value. Great value is buying a slim keg of Bourbon County Stout 2015 for &$65 like i did yesterday. Top that, Ben!

Light amber color. It takes a bit to settle, but there is a rich nose of cereal, white sugar, vanilla, raisin, oat, honey, heather and orange citrus zest. This is a farm-pretty Speyside for sure. The palate is honeyed malt, apple, pear orchard fruits, biscuity cookies and honeyed tea. Has a very sugary, vanilla finish with subtle black pepper, brown sugar, dried apricot, and banana notes. This is Speyside done right. It's original, but familiar. I could easily see this becoming a favorite in the years to come.

Count me surprised! Actually pretty nice. Crisp and bright nose that carries over to the palate. Really thick body which I’m totally surprised by, given the low age and “light” speyside nature. Not overly sweet, more tart than anything. Butter. Crisp apple. Grain. Lemon zest. Main drawback is it finishes a bit metallic. But for an age-stated single malt, this is pretty. darn. good. for the price. For $29 it was really easy to take a flier on. Even the mass-market mainstream Glens are $35-$40.